Denatured, microparticulated whey protein concentrates have for long been used as a food ingredient for the production of e.g. cheese or yoghurt. Traditionally, the products have been produced by heating a whey protein solution having a neutral to acidic pH to a protein denaturing temperature whereby whey protein gel is formed, and subsequently subjecting the gel to high shear conditions so as to convert the gel to microparticles, which can be converted to a powder by spray-drying.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,731 B2 discloses a yoghurt where all or part of the fat and/or oil of the yogurt is replaced with microparticulated protein comprising substantially non-aggregated particles of denatured protein having a mean diameter of 0.5-2 microns when in a dry state.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,311 B2 discloses insoluble, denatured, heat-stable protein particles having a mean diameter of 0.1-3 microns when in a hydrated state, which are dispersible in aqueous solutions and are used in food and beverage products. Example 12 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,311 B2 describes a ready-to-drink, juice-containing beverage containing approx. 1.5% (w/w) denatured whey protein.